Are You Having Your Coffee At The Right Time?
'Cause It Could Help Boost Your Productivity
I came to know about this coffee time trick by accident.
I am usually a 3:30pm coffee drinker. But when the lockdown was imposed on the nation, I somehow shifted to a breakfast coffee drinker.
One day, I forgot to beat my coffee-sugar mix before breakfast. So I missed drinking it with my breakfast. I said to myself, "No problem. I'll get my cup of joe after I'm done with eating."
By the time I got my steaming cup of coffee, it was 10am. So I took the cup to my desk and got started with my writing project of the day.
At midday, I realised that I was SUPER alert, and my fingers were flying on the keyboard. The articles I wrote that day were perfect, with little-to-no amount of editing required. And after lunch, I was SUPER energetic and worked on a couple more pieces. By bedtime, I was happy and playful and slept like a baby.
To say that I had the most productive and satisfying day in my writer life so far would be an understatement.
At night, I observed my whole day trying to figure out what I did that made my day so fun. Other than the change in coffee time, I couldn't find any other change. This made me wonder -
Did coffee really impact my productivity?
So I experimented the next day. I skipped my breakfast coffee and had a cup to accompany me after 10. And it worked!
I continued this experiment for a whole week. And it kept working!
It looked to me as if I'd found the Holy Grail to have the most productive day. All thanks to a slight change in the timing of my coffee.
Later, a bit of googling made me realise that this coffee-productivity hack is scientifically proven.
Here's what I found.
When we wake up, we wake up with a certain amount of cortisol.
Now cortisol, as shown in media, is not a bad thing. Our body needs cortisol to help control blood sugar levels, regulate our metabolism, and help reduce inflammation. It also helps with memory formulation and alertness. When we have too much cortisol, we end up with problems like stress, weight gain, etc. But that's a topic for another day.
The morning cortisol helps us jump-start the day. The effects of it stay with us for about two hours, after which it starts to dip. This, my friend, is the afternoon slump we universally feel.
If you want to avoid that afternoon slump, have a cup of joe at this time.
This means that the perfect time to have coffee is two hours after you wake up.
For me, that is after 9:30 am.
Since your natural cortisol is going down, drinking coffee at this time will stimulate your adrenal glands. That, in turn, will produce cortisol hormones and spread throughout your body. About 15 to 20 minutes later, you'll feel more alert and energetic, which will then increase your focus.
Hence, finally being able to defeat the afternoon slump and become a victorious, productive being.
Previously, I had mentioned how your environment affects your productivity. I am still working from my bedroom, but my attitude towards it has changed. Now the same has happened with my coffee.
Earlier, I drank coffee because it made me feel good. One cup a day of good coffee is enough for me. Now, not only it makes me happy, but it also helps me get my work done. Couldn't have asked for a better writing companion.
